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AEG Global Partnerships Sees Rise In Brand Investment
Brand appetite for events has returned, according to a press release from AEG Global Partnerships, which has seen “a sizeable increase in partnership investment across its live events portfolio.”
AEG Global Partnerships facilitates and manages partnerships at live events across the UK, and has “witnessed a huge uplift in demand with a 65% increase in investment from 2019, before the pandemic began,” according to the press release.
AEG Presents just promoted a successful edition of All Points East in London, England. According to AEG Global Partnerships, more than half (53%) of festivalgoers this past weekend were Gen Z or Millennials, and 70% were “affluent individuals earning over £50k.”
To make the most of their interactions with these groups, AEG’s partners were keen to go above and beyond traditional event sponsorships. All Points East itself is sponsored by Luno, a crypto investment app with over 10 million users worldwide.
AEG states, that it has worked with more than 77 partners at live events this summer, from a wide range of industries including personal finance and fintech, FMCG, social media, telecoms and education.
See: All Points East Festival Announces Crypto Exchange Luno As Presenting Partner
Partnerships included Vodafone, which joined forces with Elton John at American Express BST Hyde Park to deliver an augmented reality show that paid tribute to the NHS and frontline workers for their efforts during the pandemic; Ray-Ban took over the West Stage at All Points East, which got renamed The Ray-Ban West Stage; Reddit did its famous An Ask Me Anything (AMA) format with famous people involved with AEG’s festivals, from artists such as Rae Morris to AEG’s CEO, European Festivals, Jim King; SAE UK Institute, which offered students among the festivalgoers placement opportunities in multiple roles across its festival events.
Will Dowdy, Vice President of Global Partnerships at AEG Europe, said: “Brands have missed the fun of real interactions as much as music fans have missed live shows. Following a lot of uncertainty over the past few years, brands are finally embracing opportunities to engage with consumers on one of the best days they will have all year.
“Partnerships are evolving, and companies now recognise that if they can enhance an experience or add to an already-amazing day, whether that is through exclusive content, technology-enabled activations or on-site interactions, the consumer will forever link their brand to the warm emotion they felt at that time.
“Our partners are finding that creative activations are the best way to build relationships with younger audiences, generating loyalty that will remain for years to come. Consumers increasingly want to get to know brand’s personalities and what they stand for, and these partnerships allow them to demonstrate values over a longer time and create real bonds than cannot be developed by simply playing adverts at them in a kitchen or traffic jam.”